Departmentalized package



1964 E. L. VAN DEUSEN 3,145,838

DEPARTMENTALIZED PACKAGE Filed Sept. 26. 1961 INVENTOR. 0Mwv0 1. r/m/ @[l/JIA/ United States Patent G 3,145,838 DEPARTMENTALIZED PACKAGE Edmund L. Van Deusen, Laguna Beach, Calif., asslgnor, by mesne assignments, to Laguna Scientific Industries, Laguna Beach, Calif., a corporation of California Fiied Sept. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 140,772 5 Claims. (Cl. 206-47) This invention relates to a noval package having two separate compartments which can be converted to a single vessel which can be used to mix the material contained in the separate compartments.

More specifically, the invention relates to a novel departmentalized package wherein a first package portion is defined as a first cup, while a second compartment is defined as a second cup which is concentric with the first cup. The first and centrally located cup can carry a first material, while the second and concentric compartment can carry a second material which is to be mixed with the first material only when the medium is to be used.

For example, in a two-part resin system, it is necessary to mix two components only immediately prior to use, and in precisely defined proportions. In accordance with the invention, a first of the components is contained in the central cup, and the second of the components is contained in the concentrically disposed compartment.

The two components are normally isolated from one another by the walls defining the two compartments, and the top of the system may be covered with a thin plastic film. When the device is to be used, the cover is removed and the first and centrally located cup is pushed down so that the walls of the two chambers flatten out to become a single chamber for mixing the two components in their precisely defined proportions.

It will be noted that further concentric compartments can be provided when more than two products are to be mixed. Furthermore, it will be noted that the configuration of the central cup and outer compartment can be of any desired configuration such as a square or circle.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a novel departmentalized container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel departmentalized container which is easily converted to a single vessel which can serve as a disposable mixing bowl.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel departmentalized container which does not require a rupturable barrier.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel flexible departmentalized container which has low cost and weight and is disposable.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1' shows a top view of my novel disposable compartmentalized container constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side cross-sectional view of FIGURE 1 taken across the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional section view of the container of FIGURES 1 and 2 after the container has been extended to define a single chamber.

FIGURE 4 is a top view of a second embodiment and three compartments are provided.

3,145,838 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 FIGURE 5 is a side cross-sectional view of FIGURE 4 taken across the lines 55 of FIGURE 4.

In prior departmentalized packages it is the practice generally to provide a rupturable barrier between two chambers which receive different materials. Such rupturable barriers such as a plastic film or inert chemical layers are generally difiicult and expensive to fabricate, are unstable in storage and shipment, and the hard barrier component may interfere with the smooth application of the mixed materials.

In accordance with the present invention, and as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, I have provided a novel departmentalized container which avoids the disadvantages of a rupturable barrier and is automatically converted to a mixing vessel for the materials stored.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the container 10 is formed of any suitable flexible plastic material such as a polyethylene, propylene or vinyl chloride. The plastic material can be of film or sheet stock and fabricated as by vaccum molding to define, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a central cup portion 11, and an outer concentric annular container portion 12. The outer periphery of the material may then be formed in the shape of the cylinder 13, as seen in FIGURE 2, which can define a support for the package.

If desired, however, the ring or cylinder 13 can be replaced by a fiberboard tube, it being noted that such a support may not always be needed and that the container may end at the outer periphery of channel 12.

The central portion 11 may then be filled with a first medium 14 such as one part of a two-part resin, while the channel 12 may be filled with a second medium 15 which could be the second part of the two-part resin.

The top of the unit is thereafter sealed as by a heat sealed plastic film 16 or, if desired, could be a vacuum formed snap-on lid.

When the package is used for the two-part resin, it will be apparent that the package is appropriately loaded with the proper proportion of resin-to-catalyst. Moreover, the package design can be readily adapted to virtually any required ratio of resin and catalyst by merely adjusting the volumes of cup 11 and channel 12 in an appropriate manner.

When the package is to be used, the lid 16 is first removed and pressure is then applied to the bottom of chamber 11 in a downwardly direction, whereby the walls which separate chambers 14 and 15 become substantially continuous, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, so that the two components 14 and 15 can be mixed to gether in the single chamber now defined.

After mixing and use of the material, the container can be disposed of.

In FIGURES l, 2 and 3, I have illustrated the invention for a two-section container where the chambers are circular.

FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate a further embodiment of the invention wherein three chambers are used which are square. Thus, in FIGURE 5, a plastic film of any appropriate material is vacuum formed to the shape shown to form material-receiving channels or chambers 30, 31 and 32. The chambers 30, 31 and 32 of FIGURE 4 are formed of pyramidal walls Where the pyramidal surface defined is folded inside of itself three times to form the triple chamber arrangement.

In this'type of arrangement, as well as in the circular arrangement, it has been found advantageous to slightly increase the slope on the inside walls 33 and 34 of the outer compartments 30 and 31. This gives a locking action against the tendency of the plastic material to pull itself back into its original shape after being extended to form a single container.

It has also been found advantageous to obtain a greater thickness of material along the upper wall portions 35 and 36 to permit a stronger seal to be formed between the plastic film cover 37 and the wall portions 35 and 36 to provide a good seal between adjacent chambers 30, 31 and 32. Moreover, when the sections are reinforced, they serve as reinforcing ribs which keep the pyramid in shape in the extended position.

In a similar manner, and in the embodiment of FIG- URES 1 and 2, it is advantageous, although not necessary, to thicken the upper annular section 49 to provide a good seal to the sealing plastic film 16 and to serve as a reinforcing member to help retain the device in the extended position of FIGURE 3. It will also be observed that in FIGURE 2 the wall 41 which is the inner wall of chamber 12 has a relatively sharp slope to aid in keeping the wall in the extended position of FIGURE 3.

The plastic film utilized in the package has been adequately formed of a polyethylene plastic having a thickness of .020 inch. It is, however, to be understood that any suitable plastic could be used of any suitable thickness for the particular application.

While I have described the invention with reference to a container for two-part resins, it will be apparent that the container can serve as a container for any material which is preferably mixed only prior to its use. For example, many cakes would require a mixture of dry flour and a liquid and other solid elements such as raisins or chocolate. With the present device, the complete cake recipe can be stored with appropriate components in their appropriate chambers where the package converts into a mixing bowl that can be discarded when the cake is to be prepared.

It is also possible that a plural compartment package could be provided with only the dry material in one of the chambers and another chamber left empty. The empty chamber can then be filled to its capacity with a fluid such as milk or water, which, when filled to its capacity, provides the exactly correct amount of fluid to be mixed with the dry material, and the package can thereafter be converted to the mixing bowl.

Pains, colorants, cosmetics, and medicinals requiring mixing, stirring, or additions of water or other diluents may also be used in this manner. The advantage of this is that in its shipped form, it provides a very compact package with most of the cubic volume taken up with the contents themselves. In the extended form, on the other hand, the package opens up into an open-mouth mixing bowl in which the product takes up only a fraction of the total available volume. (The skirt extending down to support the package in its extended form, as in FIGURES 2 and 3, is not necessary adjunct to the package.)

Although this invention has been described with respect to its preferred embodiments it should be understood that many variations and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, and it is preferred, therefore, that the scope of this invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising (a) a flexible membrane shaped in annular corrugations to form a central first receptacle and an annular second receptacle separated from the central receptacle by a first annular intervening wall and bounded on the outside circumference by a second annular outer wall,

(b) a body of a first material in the first receptacle,

and

(c) a body of a second and different material in the second receptacle, the membrane being deformable by depression of the first receptacle to distend the first annular wall so as to merge the first and second compartments and enable the first and second materials to be mixed:

2. An article of manufacture comprising (a) a flexible membrane shaped in annular corrugations to form a central first receptacle and an annular second receptacle separated from the central receptacle by a first annular intervening wall and bounded on the outside circumference by a second annular wall,

(b) a body of a first material in the first receptacle,

(0) a body of a second and different material in the second receptacle, and

(d) a covering membrane sealed around the top edges of the first and second annular walls to prevent migration of the first and second materials from their respective receptacles, the membranes being deformable with the covering membrane removed by depression of the first receptacle to distend the first annular Wall so as to merge the first and second receptacles and enable the first and second materials to be mixed.

3. An article of manufacture comprising (a) a flexible membrane shaped in concentric corrugations to form a central first receptacle and a concentric second receptacle separated from the central receptacle by a first concentric intervening wall and bounded on the outside circumference by a second concentric wall,

(12) a body of a first material in the first receptacle,

(c) a body of a second and different material in the second receptacle, and

(d) a covering membrane sealed around the top edges of the first and second concentric walls to prevent migration of the first and second materials from their respective receptacles, the membrane being deformable with the covering membrane removed by depression of the first receptacle to distend the first concentric wall so as to merge the first and second receptacles and enable the first and second materials to be mixed.

4. An article of manufacture comprising (a) a flexible membrane shaped in corrugations to form a central receptacle and a plurality of surrounding receptacles separated from the central receptacle by intervening membrane walls,

(11) a body of a first material in the central receptacle,

and bodies of material in the plurality of surrounding receptacles, the material in at least one of said surrounding receptacles differing from the first material, and

(c) a covering membrane sealed around the top edges of the membrane walls to prevent migration of the materials disposed in the respective receptacles, the flexible membrane being deformable with the covering membrane removed by depression of the central receptacle to distend the intervening walls so as to merge the central and surrounding compartments and enable the materials disposed in said compartments to be intermixed.

5. An article of manufacture comprising (a) a flexible membrane shaped in corrugations to form a central receptacle and a surrounding receptacle separated from the central receptacle by a first intervening wall of the membrane material and bounded on the outside circumference by a second wall of the membrane material, and

(b) a body of first material in the central receptacle and a body of a second and different material in the surrounding receptacle, the membrane being deformable by depression of the central receptacle to distend the first intervening wall so as to merge the central and surrounding compartments and enable the first and second materials to be intermixed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,717,060 Mottayaw June 11, 1929 6 Kollman Jan. 21, 1936 Bodor Mar. 24, 1936 Reifers Dec. 16, 1952 Rieke Dec. 1, 1953 Colman Mar. 30, 1954 Parker Aug. 11, 1959 Serdar Dec. 10, 1960 Hartman et a1 Sept. 18, 1962 

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING (A) A FLEXIBLE MEMBRANE SHAPED IN ANNULAR CORRUGATIONS TO FORM A CENTRAL FIRST RECEPTACLE AND AN ANNULAR SECOND RECEPTACLE SEPARATED FROM THE CENTRAL RECEPTACLE BY A FIRST ANNULAR INTERVENING WALL AND BOUNDED ON THE OUTSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE BY A SECOND ANNULAR OUTER WALL, (B) A BODY OF A FIRST MATERIAL IN THE FIRST RECEPTACLE, AND (C) A BODY OF A SECOND AND DIFFERENT MATERIAL IN THE SECOND RECEPTACLE, THE MEMBRANE BEING DEFORMABLE BY DEPRESSION OF THE FIRST RECEPTACLE TO DISTEND THE FIRST ANNULAR WALL SO AS TO MERGE THE FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS AND ENABLE THE FIRST AND SECOND MATERIALS TO BE MIXED. 